Gestalt dreamwork as a therapeutic tool: An exploratory study

• Main Author: Cempron, Jaime T.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 1995
• Subjects: Therapeutics; Gestalt therapy; Focused expressive psychotherapy; Dreams; Counseling
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_doctoral/748
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study explores the effects of Gestalt Dreamwork by looking into the process changes in the counselee during the dreamwork sessions.The idiographic design was replicated nine times. The subjects' ages ranged from 21 to 30 years. They took the pre/post-instrument interviews, the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI), and the Mental Health Analysis instrument. Their significant others took the similarly scheduled interviews about their behaviors.It was found out that the process changes in the counselee during the framework sessions included: (a) re-experiencing important life events and increased self-awareness (b) some physical manifestations and paralingual expressions (c) relating therapeutic stages (d) and staying in the feeling, exaggeration, simulated dialogues, and role-playing of the dream techniques.The outcomes of Gestalt dreamwork revealed no change in POI inner-directedness and time competence scores. The Gestalt dreamwork was satisfactory. For the counselors, it was indicative of self-support on self-response-ability in identification with one's experiences and dreams. For the significant others, related to expectations were: (1) for the personal changes (2) increase in the POI self-acceptance, self-actualizing value, synergy and acceptance of aggression scores and (3) affirmed adjustment changes in the MHA interpersonal skills and social participation. The study concluded that Gestalt Dreamwork: (1) was effective for the 21-30 age group (2) could evoke process changes related to the four therapeutic stages (3) was effective in helping counselee re-own past experiences (4) had techniques, effective per se and as part of dreamwork (5) could lead to verifiable outcomes and (6) had a useful theoretical framework.It is recommended that counseling practice should (a) consider Gestalt Dreamwork for the 21-30-year olds, (b) adapt the four Gestalt therapeutic stages to assess the client progress, and (c) use the techniques of staying in the feeling, exaggeration, simulated dialogues, and role playing. Further research should be done to (a) find and formulate measures of self-response-ability, (b) study the concept of personal integration, (c) increase studies on dreams, and (d) replicate this study on the other age groups.